:Nauru Geography
Total area:
21 km2
Land area:
21 km2
Comparative area:
about one-tenth the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
30 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; monsoonal; rainy season (November to February)
Terrain:
sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate
plateau in center
Natural resources:
phosphates
Land use:
arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and
woodland 0%; other 100%
Environment:
only 53 km south of Equator
Note:
located 500 km north-northeast of Papua New Guinea, Nauru is one of the
three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are
Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia
:Nauru People
Population:
9,460 (July 1992), growth rate 1.3% (1992)
Birth rate:
18 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
41 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
64 years male, 69 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.1 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Nauruan(s); adjective - Nauruan
Ethnic divisions:
Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%
Religions:
Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)
Languages:
Nauruan, a distinct Pacific Island language (official); English widely
understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes
Literacy:
NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
Labor force:
NA
Organized labor:
NA
:Nauru Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Nauru
Type:
republic
Capital:
no capital city as such; government offices in Yaren District
Administrative divisions:
14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu,
Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
Independence:
31 January 1968 (from UN trusteeship under Australia, New Zealand, and UK);
formerly Pleasant Island
Constitution:
29 January 1968
Legal system:
own Acts of Parliament and British common law
National holiday:
Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Executive branch:
president, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President Bernard DOWIYOGO (since 12 December 1989)
Political parties and leaders:
none
Suffrage:
universal and compulsory at age 20
Elections:
President:
last held 9 December 1989 (next to be held December 1992); results - Bernard
DOWIYOGO elected by Parliament
Parliament:
last held on 9 December 1989 (next to be held December 1992); results -
percent of vote NA; seats - (18 total) independents 18
Member of:
C (special), ESCAP, ICAO, INTERPOL, ITU, SPC, SPF, UPU
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador-designate Theodore Conrad MOSES resident in Melbourne
(Australia); there is a Nauruan Consulate in Agana (Guam)
US:
the US Ambassador to Australia is accredited to Nauru
Flag:
blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and a large
white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; the star indicates
the country's location in relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and
the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru
:Nauru Economy
Overview:
Revenues come from the export of phosphates, the reserves of which are
expected to be exhausted by the year 2000. Phosphates have given Nauruans
one of the highest per capita incomes in the Third World - $10,000 annually.
Few other resources exist, so most necessities must be imported, including
fresh water from Australia. The rehabilitation of mined land and the
replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems.
Substantial amounts of phosphate income are invested in trust funds to help
cushion the transition.
GNP:
exchange rate conversion - over $90 million, per capita $10,000; real growth
rate NA% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Unemployment rate:
0%
Budget:
revenues $69.7 million; expenditures $51.5 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (FY86 est.)
Exports:
$93 million (f.o.b., 1984)
commodities:
phosphates
partners:
Australia, NZ
Imports:
$73 million (c.i.f., 1984)
commodities:
food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery
partners:
Australia, UK, NZ, Japan
External debt:
$33.3 million
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Electricity:
14,000 kW capacity; 50 million kWh produced, 5,430 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries:
phosphate mining, financial services, coconuts
Agriculture:
negligible; almost completely dependent on imports for food and water
Economic aid:
Western (non-US) countries (1970-89), $2 million
Currency:
Australian dollar (plural - dollars); 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.3177 (March 1992), 1.2834 (1991),
1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
:Nauru Communications
Railroads:
3.9 km; used to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing
facilities on the southwest coast
Highways:
about 27 km total; 21 km paved, 6 km improved earth
Ports:
Nauru
Merchant marine:
1 bulk ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,426 GRT/5,750 DWT
Civil air:
3 major transport aircraft, one on order
Airports:
1 with permanent-surface runway 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
adequate local and international radio communications provided via
Australian facilities; 1,600 telephones; 4,000 radios; broadcast stations -
1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station